High capacity wire collecting device



Aug. 1, 1961 w. J. MANSON HIGH CAPACITY WIRE COLLECTING DEVICE Filed April 7, 1959 United States Patent 2,994,490 HIGH CAPACITY WIRE COLLECTING DEVICE Walter J. Manson, Niles, Mich., assignor to National- Standard Company, Niles, Web, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 7, 1959, Ser. No. 804,668 4 Claims. (Cl. 242-83) This invention relates to a high capacity wire collecting apparatus for collecting wire as it moves away from a horizontal helix of wire which rotates and moves in the helical path of the helix.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my US. application Serial No. 746,179, filed July 2, 1958, now Patent No. 2,949,250, which was an improvement on the apparatus disclosed and claimed in U.S. application Serial No. 541,179, filed October 18, 1955, now U.S. Patent No. 2,863,615, in which I am the joint inventor with Herbert Kenmore.

The latter application discloses means for curving the axis o'f'the helix as it is fed off the end of horizontal supporting rollers so that the wire fed off said end is collected on a platform which rotates about a vertical axis. The former application No. 746,179 is an improvement on No. 541,179 and according to said former application it was found that the rotation of the wire helix is capable of driving the rotating platform at just the correct rate of speed provided the platform is suspended so as to rotate freely.

The device of the present invention is especially useful for collecting wire coils from a helically moving horizontal helix of relatively small coil size. The device can be adapted for collecting wire on a collecting platform which has independent means of rotation but it is especially useful for the type of collector disclosed in said application Serial No. 746,179 where the collecting platform is rotated by the pushing force or torque supplied by the rotating helical coils being wound thereon.

It has been found that in the treatment of wire in helical form as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,680,710, for example, smaller coil sizes, besides being stiffer and more stable, have additional advantages such as the ability to be propelled at higher speeds, allowing closer spacing of coils requiring less space and less energy to agitate the solutions of the baths, etc. One disadvantage of such coils is that the collecting devices therefor are of the same small diameter as the helix and are of small capacity so as to require frequent dofiing.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide means for collecting treated linear products on a collecting device of larger diameter than the coil size, in apparatuses Where a helically formed linear product is moved through a treating apparatus of the type described.

As stated above the device of the invention is particularly useful for collecting wire from a helix which has a relatively small diameter (less than 3', for example) but it can be applied to any size helix where it is desired to increase the size of the helix for collecting the same or for further treating the same.

The objects of the invention are obtained by rotatably supporting the stored portion or tube-treated section of the helix on two or more parallel supporting rollers which rotate at the same speed as the helix and continuously passing the helix under a low friction pressure means applied between the two parallel supporting rollers to a single coil of the helix which may be adjacent the exit end of the supporting rollers. The pressure applied by the low friction pressure means (which may be a pulley, for example), against the resistance of the supporting rollers spreads or decreases the curvature of the coil passing thereunder to expand its diameter. The surface 2,994,490 Patented Aug. 1, 1961 ice speed of the expanded coil and coils which it produces remain the same although the angular speed decreases. The low friction pressure means is preferably adjustable to expand the helix varying amounts and may be applied at any point along the stored portion of a helix where it is desired to increase the diameter thereof.

The coil pressure means is useful whether the collecting device is rotated by the torque or pushing force supplied by the wire of the rotating helix or by separate driving means. However, where the collecting device is rotated by the torque of the wire helix the coil pressure means has the additional advantages in that it isolates a certain number of coils for driving the collecting device and prevents the back pressure provided by the collecting device from affecting the shape of coils on the opposite side of the coil pressure means.

'In the drawings:

, FIG. 1 is a side view partly cut away of a wire or strip treating machine embodying the device of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detail view of the coil pressure means.

In the apparatus shown a helix 11 of wire, tube or strip material has been formed so that said helix 11 has a relatively small diameter. In actual practice the individual coils of helix 11 are usually closer spaced than shown in FIG. 1. The helix 11 is supported or temporarily stored during its rotation on two parallel horizontal storage or supporting rollers 20, 21 and while being stored dips into one or more treating baths only the last of which, 22, is shown in the drawing.

As the coil of the rotating helix comes out of the bath 22 it passes over supporting roller 20, under the pulley 31 of the coil pressure means 30 and over supporting roller 21. Depending on the position of pulley 31 with respect to rollers 20 and 21 the radius of curvature of the coil passing between these devices will be increased although the linear speed of the wire or rod remains the same. The expanded helix 11-1 retains its enlarged size. After passing the ends of rollers 20 and 21 one or more coils 11-2 may be supported in diagonal position by extensions 23, 24, containing rollers 25, 26 and 27, 28 respectively to reduce friction before passing onto the collecting device 50. The supporting means 23, 24, etc., can be omitted if desired.

The coil pressure means 30 is suitably mounted between the storage and supporting rollers 20, 21 by means of the platform 32 and angle strips 33, 34, for example. The pulley 31 is rotatably mounted in an adjustable block 35 which is slidable in groove 36 and held in position within said groove by slot 37 through which the shaft 38 extends to be held in place by nut 39 which is larger in diameter than slot 37. The lower end 40 of screw shaft 41 is swivelly mounted in block 35 and the pressure or distance of pulley 31 with respect to the plane defined by the top surfaces of rollers 20 and 21 can be adjusted by rotating screw 41 by means of knob 42.

The collecting device 50 shown is operated by the energy supplied by the movement (or kinetic energy) of the coils and by the energy liberated when the coils pass from position 11-1 to the position 11-2 and thence to the platform 51. Thus, the collecting platform 51 contains uprights 52, 53, 54 which converge at 55 to a common central area to which holding means in the form of a loop 36 is attached. The supporting platform is held in rotatable suspended position by the pulley means 59. Pulley means 56 contains hook 57 which is rotatably mounted in the frame thereof as shown at 58 (FIG. 2) so that platform 51 is free to rotate. The rotation energy of the helix 11-2 is sufiicient to rotatably drive platform 51 at the correct rate of rotation. As stated above, the coil pressure structure 30 of the present invention is especially suitable for this type of collecting device since the back pressure or resistance to rotation of platform 51 has the effect of slightly expanding the coils 112.'

This back pressure, however, is not transmitted tothe opposite side of pulley 31 but is isolated by said pulley 31 to be absorbed by the coils in a region between pulley 31 and the collecting device 50. If'desired however, platform 51 may be-supported from below and positively rotated. I I

The features and principles underlying the invention described above in connection with specific exemplifications will suggest to those skilled in the art many other modifications thereof. It is accordingly desired that the appended claims shall not be limited to any specific feature or details thereof.

I claim:

1. In a device for continuously treating linear material while being continuously fed in the form of a rotating and travelling helix with a horizontal axis, a pair of horizontally-spaced, parallel, horizontal supporting rollers for storing and suspending a series of coils of said helix from the. inside thereof, coil pressure means, means for mounting; the coil pressure means between corresponding adjacent portions of said parallel, horizontal supporting rollers, said coil pressure means being substantially frictionless and adapted to press the portion of a coil of said helix passing over said two rollers to thereby increase the radius of curvature of said helix.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said subt 4 t. 2 t stantially frictionless pressure means comprises a rotatable pulley.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said substantially' frictionless pressure means comprises a rotatable pulley and comprising vertically adjustable mounting means for said pulley to adjust the amount of expanding produced thereby.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for mounting the coil pressure means is positioned adjacent the exit end of the pair of horizontal supporting rollers, means for collecting the linear material discharged frorn said horizontal supporting rollers comprising a collecting platform, means for rotatably mounting the collecting platform to rotate about a vertical axis, means for guiding the helical material coming from said horizontal supporting rollers onto said collecting platform, said coil pressuremeans being positioned to operate upon a coil of said helix adjacent to the collecting platform whereby the torque applied by the helix between the coil pressure means and the collecting platform supplies the energy to rotate said platform.

Fritts Nov. 5, 1940 Kenmore et a1. Dec. 8, 1958 

